Newcastle centre Wes Naiqama missed a conversion to send the game to extra time as the Sydney Roosters held on for their first win in six weeks with a 12-10 victory at the Sydney Football Stadium on Sunday.

The Knights recovered from 12-0 down to almost force golden point but Naiqama's kick shaved the left-hand upright five minutes from time.

Debutant Peter Mata'utia had reeled in a Jarrod Mullen bomb to give the visitors some late hope.

It was a game the Roosters should never have been in position to lose, having looked home after Anthony Minichiello had equalled Bill Mullins' club record 104 tries for the tri-colours when he stormed onto a delicate Todd Carney inside ball after 51 minutes.

While a long way from their best, Carney and halves partner Braith Anasta combined to get the confidence-sapped Roosters over the line.

Roosters coach Brian Smith found something endearing in the way his depleted squad ended a five-match losing streak.

"I know we've got a lot of work to do and I think we gave ourselves a little platform today to build on, a bit of confidence from a win," Smith said after his side's third win of 2011.

"If we can get some more over the next few weeks you never know, we might just get a rally up before the season's out - there's a long way to go.

"We knew when we were coming here today that we would have to work hard and grind it out.

"We've got boys coming from everywhere at the moment to play for us.

"We know we can play a lot better than that - but when you're missing 11 guys out of your top 25 I don't think you expect icing on the cake or strawberries on the top, you're just happy to get a good hard, strong gutsy performance and I thought everyone of our guys did that for us today."

And for all their ills both on and off the field this season, the Roosters now find themselves just four points outside the top eight and have key playmaker Carney showing glimpses of his best.

With half-back Mitchell Pearce and second rower Nate Myles to return from Origin duty next week and Tom Symonds set to strengthen the back row, things are starting to look up again for the men from Bondi.

Anasta had engineered the only points of the first half with a shortside play to set up Shaun Kenny-Dowall.

Carney looked full of running after sending Minichiello over as the Roosters forwards finally began to rumble but, when presented with the chance to ice the game, the home side struggled to come up with adequate finishes to its sets deep in Newcastle territory.

In fact had the Knights played the first 60 minutes with the same desperation and execution they showed in the last 20, there is every chance they would have walked away with the two points.

They gave the ball some air on the hour and Shannon McDonnell finished off a 60-metre play that started with Keith Lulia busting through some soft Carney defence.

They were very nearly over three minutes later only for Anasta to grab hold of McDonnell two metres short of the line after the Knights full-back had reeled in a bomb.

As it was they had a chance to send it through to golden point when Mata'utia celebrated his maiden game with a try six minutes from time, but Naiqama's conversion from wide out sailed wide of the left upright.

"It could have been quite easy to pack up the tents and go home after that (Minichiello try) but I thought from there we fought hard and kept finding something for each other," Knights coach Rick Stone said.

Added Mullen: "We just needed the rub of the green to go our way a couple of times in the second half and I think we win the game.

"You make you're own luck I suppose and we've just got to keep hanging in there every game and hopefully our luck will turn towards the back end of the games and we start winning some."